In an email sent out Thursday evening, snow ranger Shelly Grail said Forest Service officials need to focus on preparing the national forest for a potential government shutdown.

“We recognize that an official decision to shut down government operations has not happened as of this evening, however, we’ve made the decision to cancel the field visit to give us sufficient time to notify people who are traveling in from out of town,” Grail said.

Once the agency has a better understanding of what government operations might look like, Grail said she will try to reschedule a site visit or some other opportunity to meet with White River Forest Supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams and Dillon District Ranger Jan Cutts.

People who signed up the April 8 site visit will be notified as those plans take shape.

The resort has proposed adding a new lift and several hundred acres of terrain on Peak 6 to address peak-day crowding. The original proposal elicited a slew of questions and critical comments from Breckenridge residents and from public lands watchdog groups concerned about social and environmental impacts.

The resort subsequently convened a community stakeholder task force to try and address at least the quality of life issues raised by residents.